The fluid, everchanging secret aspects of human personality is the subject of Sujatha Murthy’s paintings. Her work is based on Freud's Theory of Personality - that much of human behavior is determined by forces outside awareness. The relation between the person and society is controlled by primitive urges buried deep within, forming the basis of the hidden self. 

 

The artist sees herself as a silent yet curious observer and interpreter of the inner characteristics people knowingly or unknowingly keep hidden from others and often themselves. In her  paintings animals and humans, shapes and forms, blend together creating ripples within understood realms of individuality, gender, language, expression and behavior. 

 

Working primarily in oils on paper, the rich tone of oil provides her paintings with strong colours and a lingering, almost unnerving physical presence. Strong outlines stand out starkly, scraped layers reveal what is trying to be concealed. Soft blurred, blended areas create forms within forms, shapes within shapes, the resulting works transform ordinary individuality into the unexpected.